Going Hiking? Protect yourself, wear light colored clothes so you can see any ticks, tuck your socks in to keep ticks out!

Got Spray? There are many brands of repellent that work against ticks.

Been Bitten?

Get treated early!

If you suspect that you may have Lyme disease, see your healthcare provider right away. Delaying treatment can result in additional complications.

10 Steps to Prevent Tick Bites

Wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks more easily.

Tuck your pant legs into your socks and your shirt into your pants when walking in woods, brush, or tall grass. Deer ticks attach to clothing and then walk upward.

Use a tick repellent that contains 20%-40% DEET or Picaradin on skin and clothing. These products include Off®, Cutter®, Repel®, Ultrathon® and Natrapel®. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that DEET is safe for children, but recommends that lower concentrations (10%) be used, and applied by an adult. Be aware that DEET will dissolve plastics and varnish.

OR pre-treat your clothing with a product that contains permethrin, such as Permanone® or Duranon®, which both repel and kill ticks and remain effective through several wash cycles. They should be sprayed on clothing only (not skin). Outdoor clothing stores sell pre-treated tick-repellent clothing which remains effective through 70 wash cycles (the life of the garment).

Protect your pets by using tick repellents, acaricides and Lyme vaccines for dogs as recommended by your vet.

Do the Tick Check whenever you've been outdoors! Inspect yourself and your pets after being outdoors. Ticks often attach in body folds, behind knees, ears, in the pelvic region and on scalps. Showering removes unattached ticks, but not attached ticks.

Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks.

Use caution in wooded and bushy areas with leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails.